What Would've Been
by luckycharms92
Summary: Ever wonder what life would've been like for Drake if the FAYZ never happened? Would he have had a wife and kids to celebrate holidays with? If he did, would it have been a perfect family, or would it only appear perfect?
1. The Initial Meeting

Okay, so I decided that I may as well continue What Coud've Been for a little while. Doesn't mean i stopped working on Hidden, I do have the next three chapter typed up, I just need my beta to finish looking them over~ ^^"

Anyways, so I'm using a whole new character, but keeping Paige since she's just adorable and I've come to be rather attached to her. XD But the girl has changed, yes Jessica only belongs in Hidden and Choices. The new girl isn't all too bad, I'm sure you'll all learn to love her. Oh and I tried to keep Drake as IC as possible, but there will be some definate OOC moments for him. Anyways, enjoy. Please review to tell me what you think so far. ^_^

Okay, so let's start from the beginning~

* * *

The Initial Meeting

Ice blue eyes stared into my cool gray ones. They were the brightest shade of blue I've ever seen before, brighter than the morning sky. When I looked into them, I was drowning.

This feeling made me smirk, leading me to think I had met my next victim. The thought of those startling blue eyes staring back at me lifeless made me shiver with excitement. My grin widened when I saw her blush and turn away from me.

"Oh, no," the witch beside me sighed. "He's spotted his next victim, Caine. Remind him that the freezer is filled."

"The freezer is filled," Caine echoed drily. I raised an eyebrow at him, my long time friend since High School back at Coates Academy. We had been through a lot together. Yet, our long time friendship meant practically nothing to him when Diana was around. She's also been with us for a long time, but there was that break when we were all in our first two years of college. Caine and I went to that same one out of state, while she went to a whole different country. Let's just say, Caine was not a happy man, but I had the best times of my life in that two-year span. Died a little when she transferred, although I was sure Caine had a hand in that. The man always got what he wanted, which made sense when he became the head of a multi-billion corporation with Diana as his trophy wife.

I, on the other hand, was single, happy and still toting around a gun. Sure, I was a cop; a man in uniform, following my father's footsteps, but not entirely when I had my midnight fun.

"Yeah, well," I began, getting up from the booth. "Maybe she's the one. I'm going to buy her a drink."

"Good luck," Caine said, nodding at me as I got up to leave. Diana muttered something to him; it was along the lines of 'May God have mercy on her soul.' The comment only made me happy at the thought of what could possibly go down tonight.

The girl was sitting with her back to me, looking down at her drink in a rather stiff manner. She probably sensed that I was walking over; then again, it could've been the giggling girl beside her, who eventually ditched her. What a great friend she was to leave this beauty unprotected from a dangerous man like me.

I sat in the barstool next to her and motioned the bartender to give her another drink. Then I looked over at her in time to catch her steal a quick look and blush again.

"Hi, I'm Drake Merwin," I said, reaching my hand out to her. I knew how to play this game, and first thing was to flirt with them. "And I've got to say, those are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. How many carats are they?" This got a nice, big smile from her.

"Hi," she said softly chuckling, still blushing. "I'm Stacy Jones and that was so cheesy."

She had a bit of an accent, but I couldn't place it. But I would know soon enough. I grinned at her, continuing. "Sorry, I get nervous around girls as beautiful as you."

Rule number one: Girls fell for guys who called them beautiful more faster than guys who called them sexy within the first meeting.

"Oh really?" She smiled, looking down at the drink now in her hands. "Is that what you told that other girl the night before?"

"Ah, that's why you haven't fallen under my spell yet. You already saw the tricks hidden under my sleeve," I chuckled.

"That," she sighed, "And I've heard it all before."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I know the routine quite well…" She went on, looking intensely at her drink. "You buy me a drink first, then make small chat, flirt with me. Finally, we leave the bar together, go to a hotel or a motel, and have some fun. I think it's a great night, but then I wake up in the morning with a big headache and in an empty room."

I held back a sigh, knowing that I wouldn't have any fun tonight. Yet, I couldn't let her go; I wanted her. I wanted to fulfill that goal in my mind; I had to have her, but that meant I had to be patient. Guess Diana would have her wish after all. The freezer won't have another body, yet.

"Well, I'm not like that," I said after a few seconds.

She laughed drily. "Yeah, that's what they all say too."

"I don't want to go to a hotel or a motel just to use you. If I wanted that I would just call up those special services that cater to those needs-"

"But I'm cheap, they're not." She cut in before draining her drink. I watched her with a small frown, but my smile stayed on.

"Money is hardly a problem here," I said smoothly, "At least, for me. Plus, those 'services' are for scoundrels. I am a man of class."

I wasn't lying, I was a man of class; I knew how to treat a girl right, but only to reach my goal. Sure, the goal wasn't great for the girl, but it was great for me.

"Please, go on. Tell me how _you_ are a man of _class_," she said while those bright blue sapphires looked deep within my gray ones as if challenging me to prove her wrong. I smirked, accepting the challenge. This, however, was my first mistake, which only lead me into making a whole bunch others. Though, those mistakes only proved Diana wrong, which was my second favorite sport.

Funnily enough, I didn't see them as mistakes when I woke up to the equally crazy blonde with frosty blue eyes sound asleep next to me with a baby monitor in her hands years after our first meeting.


	2. Wake Up Call

Wake Up Call

There was a high-pitched screaming coming from somewhere in the house, but I simply delved under the covers as if nothing was happening.

"Drake," said a muffled, tired voice next to me. "Drake, the baby…it's awake."

"Mmm, go shut it up," I replied with a groan.

"I'm too tired, you go get it…," said that muffled voice, this time with a yawn.

"No."

"Drake," the voice whined slightly. "Please, I can't get up."

"That's not my problem, Stacy," I said, turning my back to her and placing a pillow over my head. It blocked out the sound a little. "You wanted the little thing; now, go take care of it."

"It's as much as yours as it is mine."

"You wanted to keep it," I grumbled.

"Please-"

"No means n-"

"Drake!" Stacy said, sitting up and grabbing my pillow from me. It was obvious she was very much pissed off with me. "You haven't held her once since she was born. Now, go get her and put her back to sleep."

"I held it!" I said, grabbing back my pillow angrily. "At the hospital, right after the doctor's cleaned it up and wrapped it in a blanket."

"You tried to drop her!"

"Well I didn't want to hold it," I said defensively. "Plus, the doctor caught it…"

"It's Paige, not it!" She growled, "Drake, go get her right now, or else I'll cut off your little friend into tiny pieces while you are awake and feed it to the dogs."

Stacy was dead serious. I could see it in her eyes; those cold, crazy blue eyes of hers that drew me in. Plus, she had done it before to a guy, so I knew she had no problem doing it to me…even if I was her husband.

Angrily, I got out of bed as my _wife_ went back to sleep. I grumbled, walking out the door. "I should've just gotten her that dog. They wouldn't wake a person up at three in the morning for God knows why."

I was trudging my way towards that wretched, high-pitched voice when I realized, I didn't even know how to hold a baby properly, much less how to put it back to sleep.

However, it was too late to turn back around and tell Stacy since I was already at the baby room. I entered, dragging my feet along towards the crib. On the way, I switched on the lights, which was a bad idea because they nearly blinded me and caused the baby to start screaming bloody murder, as if it wasn't already.

I reached the crib and looked down at the little thing. Its face was all red and its mouth was wide open. With a disgusted look on my face, I picked up the screaming child, but held it out at arm's length. It kept screaming with its eyes closed, meaning I had to do something else than just hold it up.

I turned it around this and that way, as if looking for an off switch. There had to be some way to shut it up. Yet, as I was turning it every which way, the screams began to lessen. Holding it right side up and facing me, I raised an eyebrow at it, wondering if maybe that was how people made babies quiet; just keeping moving it around. Unfortunately, it began whimpering, meaning the waterworks was going to start again. I scrunched up my face, trying to remember what everyone told me about holding a baby.

Some said hold it like a football; others just held it, saying it was the easiest thing in the world. Stacy, on the other hand, never bothered telling how to hold it, she knew I didn't want much to do with it; although, I did remember she told if I was going to ever hold a baby, that I should cradle it in my arms like I do when I cradled a brand new gun.

That was it!

It was still whimpering as I brought it closer to me, slowly cradling it in my arms. I made sure that I held it tightly so as not to have a repeat at the hospital, but not too tightly to crush it. I briefly grinned at the thought of crushing it, but Stacy's blue eyes filled with anger came to the forefront of my mind, causing me to forget that notion for now.

I looked down at it, and immediately felt like dropping it and leaving. It was still whimpering, but it was getting louder. Now what do I do?

With an irritated sigh, I began walking out of the room, back to Stacy; she would know what to do.

Luckily, and unluckily, I found her already in the hallway with her eyes half-open. She was walking towards me, held out her hands and took the baby before I could even explain the situation. Then again, I didn't really have to because she was busy quieting the baby. I thought I was free, I could go back to sleep, but then she took my hand in hers, while she held the baby in her arm, and dragged me back into the baby's room.

"Stacy, I tried everything," I groaned when we walked into the room. She didn't say anything as she led me to the corner, where there was that rocking chair that we just had to buy for the baby. Although, this one was much nicer than the one we originally planned to buy, mainly because Caine bought it for us as a gift. Though, knowing Caine, he had only done it to get on Stacy's good side, which hardly worked.

I wasn't able to dwell on the subject much longer when Stacy pushed me towards the chair.

"Sit," she commanded, pointing at the chair. I did, confused. Once she saw that I was sitting through those half-lidded eyes, she put the now quiet child in my arms; sadly, it was still awake. "Now, put her to sleep. Just rock back and forth."

I grimaced at her, but seeing that dangerous look in those eyes I kept my mouth shut and did as I was told, for now. I would get her back for commanding me later, when it was morning.

As I was rocking back and forth, I happened to glance down at the small thing in my arms and my grimace vanished.

Large, blue-gray eyes trapped mine within seconds. I grinned, thinking about when I first met Stacy and how she got my attention the exact same way. However, her eyes were pure blue while there were a watered down version, but that was probably because of my gray eyes.

Her eyelids began drooping close, releasing me from her trap and soon enough, she was asleep.

I let out a sigh of relief as I stood up to put her back into her crib, but as I did that, I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, Stacy leaning against the wall smiling right at me. I put Paige down in her crib, softly so she wouldn't wake up again, before facing that woman by the wall. Walking away from the crib, I whispered, "What?"

"Nothing," she said, keeping that same smile.

I walked towards her, pulled her off the wall and into my arms. Looking down into her half-lidded eyes, I asked again, "No, tell me. I went through hell just now. I deserve to know. What is it?"

"It's nothing." She said, pulling me closer to her. "Just that, never thought I'd ever see you looking at her like that…"

"Like what?" I asked confused about what she saw. I wasn't looking down at Paige in any way…I mean I was just looking at her.

"Mmm, I think you know. You're just in denial," she mused, nodding in agreement to her own thoughts.

"Says the crazy, hormonal woman," I sighed. She made a face at me, which I returned, causing her to laugh lightly. Then, she yawned, "Let's go back to bed, hmm?"

"Yeah," I said as we started heading out.

Just as we were leaving, I turned off the lights and chanced one more glance at the crib before closing the door. Then, being the _classy_ guy that I was famous for, I picked Stacy up in my arms and carried her back to bed. Of course, when I dropped her onto our king sized bed, I grinned down at her crawling on top. There were some weak protests from her, but they were weak, allowing me to have my treat for the night.

* * *

There will be more flashbacks to show how Drake and Stacy evetually ended up where they are now, but for now just some recent things.

Okay, so thank you to SummerFeally, Armygirl and Valkerie for the reviews. ALSO, thank you to everyone who reviewed and read Father's Day Special. Miss Rouge Apple, Forgot my account password (although I doubt that's your actual username ^^" heh), LivesInStars, SummerFeally and Armygirl~ ^_^ Thank you, all of you! Hope you all still like it, somewhat?

Review and tell me what you think so far~


	3. The Wedding

Let's go back to the past for a little bit, hmm?

Thank you to Doctor Jenny Merwin-Jackson, Miss Rouge Apple and SummerFeally for the reviews~ I appreciate them, but I also appreciate all my readers. It's good to know there are people who like it so far. ^_^

* * *

The Wedding

"I can't believe this," my best man said while fixing his tie in the mirror. I looked over at Caine and nodded in agreement.

"Same here…" I checked myself in the mirror next, shoving him to the side since I was more important than he was for once.

"I can," Diana yawned from the chair she was sitting in, which was off to the far corner of the room. I looked at her reflection in the window with raised eyebrows as if asking her to elaborate. She shook her head. "I just can't believe she said yes. You sure you didn't force her?"

"We all know it was Stacy who forced him," Caine chuckled. I grumbled under my breath, knowing all too well just how true that was.

Stacy was about to was about to leave me after three blissful years of being together and I couldn't stand losing her. She was perfect for me, something that many people found hard to understand, but if only they knew her like I did they would understand. Then again, if they knew her like I did, they would be six feet under the ground.

Anyways, she tried to leave me because she wanted to be with someone who would want everything she wanted. What she wanted was what majority of women wanted, a nice house in the suburbs with a pet and eventually children. I didn't really want that, but I couldn't lose her. She was that rare, perfect girl who was a little damaged in the head just like me. There was no way I was going to lose her.

Although, why she needed to have this huge circus called a wedding, was beyond me. Diana told me that no matter how twisted Stacy was she was still a girl at heart who yearned for a normal life.

It was disgusting really, the thought of having a normal life. That would only slow down our midnight activities, but there were some advantages to it. Appearing like a normal couple in love in a nice house, living like ordinary people meant no one would suspect us as suspects in anything we've done or would do in the near future.

"Hey," someone said, knocking on the door. Caine looked at Diana, who was only frowning. We still had a good half hour before the circus actually started, meaning no one was to bother me until then. However, I walked to the door and opened it only to see the one person no groom was supposed to see until the band started playing 'Here Comes the Bride.'

"Jessica?" I scratched my head, confused. I motioned at her in that expensive white gown and then at me. "I thought this was taboo."

"Dear, I'm pretty sure we're past the whole 'taboo' stuff by now," she said as she pushed past me. I shrugged as I shut the door behind her. She plopped herself down in the chair next to Diana. "Hey Diana, you look nice."

"When don't I?" Diana grinned at Stacy, but the latter only sighed as she reclined back into the chair.

"What's up?" I asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Nothing," Stacy replied with a shrug. Her gaze turned down to her hands as she began picking at her cuticles. This was a bad sign. Without even having to send a look at Caine, he grabbed Diana and they left. With a sigh, I sat down where Diana was formerly sitting.

"Now, you have ten seconds to tell me the truth, or I will walk out that door and you won't ever see me again," I said as I leaned back in the chair casually.

"What? You can't possibly be serious," she stuttered. A look of panic set on her soft face and even filled those startling blue eyes that always had me from the start.

"One," I began with a sigh. "Two…three-"

"Drake, it's nothing. I swear," she said frantically, but I knew better.

"Four…five…six…"

"Drake!"

"Seven…"

"Please, stop."

"Eight…nine…"

"Stop it, I'm serious." I could hear her voice breaking as she tried to be strong.

"So am I," I said, standing up. "Ten. Good bye, have a fantastic wedding without the groom."

"Drake, you can't leave me!" Stacy sobbed suddenly. "Please. My dad already did, you can't too."

I stopped in my tracks as a grimace set in.

Her father never approved of me and I never cared, but Stacy loved her father. She loved him even though he was possibly the world's sickest man alive, sicker than I was. Stacy and her father shared a dark past that I had to pry out of her; now, I didn't care about her past all too much, but I hated her father. At one point, I promised myself I would end his pathetic, drunk life soon.

I turned around to face her. Trying to stay calm, I asked, "That's all? Your father left and so you decided to try your luck by seeing me half an hour early?"

"I didn't know you were so superstitious." Her blue eyes were tinged with red, meaning the tears were about to come.

"I'm not," I snapped, "I just don't understand why your world revolves around that sick, evil bastard! I mean, think about what he did to you when you were just a kid. I am pretty sick, but that's below even me. Scums on the street are better than him. Stacy, just let him leave."

"I was a bad kid, he only did what he thought was right," she said not looking at me anymore. I shook my head.

"No, sorry, but no. I can't stay here and marry you if you feel that way." I began backing out of the room, my hands up in surrender because I couldn't deal with this anymore.

"Drake, he was all that I had after my mom left," she said if that would make me stay. I never cared for her sob stories; I only cared about her and her crazy mind. That was all.

"Sorry, Babe, but I'm not the kind of guy who likes it when his bride is going to choose her damned father over him." I shrugged before turning my back on her and walking right on out.

I left her without as much as a second glance. In the hallway, I met up with Caine and Diana, both of which seemed way too calm when I told them I was heading off to the bar, that same bar where Stacy and I first met. They simply shrugged and followed.

However, that wasn't how the wedding ended. Obviously, I did marry Stacy, but it wasn't at the big circus or because her father eventually came back. Stacy realized that wasn't important to her and came into the bar where we first met in her wedding dress, asking me if I wanted to run off to Vegas with her. With big grins, we eloped and disappeared from Perdido Beach for a whole year before returning.

Although, I wished she had realized that nothing else mattered but us before all the bills for the circus arrived. Though, none of that mattered; nope, not anymore.

Watching that beautiful blonde bustle around the house with the baby draped over her shoulder made me forget everything else, every day. She was strong, beautiful and insane. Although, I wished she was a little less emotional, but I blamed her parents for that.

"You're going to be late for work," she said, leaning against the kitchen counter next to me. Paige was awake in her arms, but was quiet for the most part.

"As if anyone is going to care," I sighed, draining the rest of my coffee. It was true, ever since I had been promoted from cop to chief status, which was a big deal since I was still rather young. Anyways, I was able to be a little late for work every now and then because of the promotion. I looked over at Stacy, who only shook her head and returned her attention to that little thing bundled in pink in her arms. Abruptly, I asked, "Why pink? Why does she have to be in pink? Why not black or red? Oh, make it blood red."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," Stacy laughed, walking off. Quickly, I put my coffee cup in a sink before walking right behind her. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. It was going great until, she started pulling away.

"Drake, the baby," she said, nodding her head at the small thing still in her arms. I looked over and saw Paige stare at us with her large watered down eyes. I shrugged, looking back at Stacy.

"She doesn't know what's going on," I said with a grin, but she only shook her head, mouthing 'no'. I pouted, but she only laughed.

"Go, you're going to be late."

"Fine, if you insist, _sweetheart_," I grumbled.

"Oh, I insist, _honey buns_," she laughed again. I rolled my eyes at her and gave her one last peck on the lips. Then, I turned to Paige and placed one on her forehead. Stacy raised her eyebrows at me, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"See ya," I said, rushing on out of the house after grabbing up my car keys.

"Bye, be safe. We love you," she said, walking me up to the door. Then, she made Paige wave her hand once I was in my car. I smiled lightly, waved, backed out of the driveway, and headed on down the road.

Yeah, those two made me forget everything, until they were the only ones left on my mind.

* * *

Hmm, I wonder how Drake is like at work. Does he have buddies? A nice group to eat lunch with, or is he hard working, busy body? Either way, he must have a nice collection of guns~

Please remember to review~ =3


	4. Date Night

Caine has come for a visit, taking Drake back to his memories of his first date with Stacy~ Let's see how that went...

* * *

Date Night

"Hey Boss!" said Tony; he worked the phones at the front desk and we chatted occasionally, but I found him rather annoying. He always talked about his wife and kids, and how wonderful life was at home. I didn't care about _his_ wife or _his_ kids. I didn't understand how they related to the job or to me, but I smiled and nodded at him anyways.

"Hey Tony, how's the wife and kids?" I asked, knowing he was going to talk about it anyways.

"Good," Tony replied enthusiastically, "Mona is setting up for her next photo gallery, and the twins are starting their first day of pre-school. Hey, would you and Stacy like to come over to see the gallery? It's next week Friday."

"No," I said quickly, "We already have some plans for that night."

"Oh, really? What?" He asked, causing my smile to drop slightly, but I pasted it back on.

"Um, wife has some plans," I said quickly, making a face to show that I wasn't looking forward to it.

"Oh, I know how that is." Tony nodded with a small frown. Then, getting back to work, he said, "Well, if you need a babysitter for Paige, Mona and I would be more than happy to do it. Mona loves Paige and all…"

"Thanks, we'll see you around Tony." I waved at him as I walked off to my office. He waved back, but by then I already turned the corner. When I was sure I was out of his sight, I rolled my eyes, wondering why I even bothered talking to him. However, I didn't think about it long when I walked into my office.

"Drake," said that ever so calm, cool voice the second I took one step inside. I turned my gray eyes to him and nodded.

"Caine, what's up? Did Diana take on another lover?" I said with a wry grin.

"Hmm, for her 'lover's' sake, I hope not," Caine replied with the same dry humor. I chuckled and motioned for him to sit down before taking a seat behind my desk. Caine looked around the office and grinned. "Like the décor."

"Hmm, yeah," I mumbled taking a glance over my office. It was simple with four dark brown walls with matching wooden floor and two windows that faced outside; of course, there were also the two large windows on either side of my door, but that only faced the other desks and my subordinates. I let out a sigh, realizing that all I had in here was my leather chair, desk, plant and a picture frame that contained the only two important people in my life.

"You seem a bit out of it, Drake. What is going on? Are there some problems at the home front?" Caine asked, leaning forward in his chair a little. Caine has been my friend for a long time now; he's been there even though I've sort of lost some use for him. From my first kill to my confusion with handling Stacy, he's been there for me. Yet, I wasn't sure I wanted to discuss my main problem now. But, I knew he wouldn't drop it until I told him.

I smiled, letting out a little exasperated sigh. "Nah, nothing too bad. Just, well, last night, Stacy and I had some fun, but something was off…"

"Um…they have pills for-"

"What? No!" I interrupted him immediately. "No, nothing wrong there, just it didn't feel the same. It wasn't like it used to be. There was something missing…I guess we just lost the heat, or whatever it's called."

"Passion?" He asked with an odd look.

I snapped my fingers, thinking that was it, but I wasn't sure. "Yeah, I guess."

"Ah," Caine said with a nod, as if understanding. There was no way he could understand, Diana didn't want kids and Caine didn't want them either. They would never go through what Stacy and I were going through right now. Well, maybe they would adopt a poor little kid at one point because Diana wouldn't want to go through the nine months of pain, but that wouldn't be the same.

"Yeah," I sighed, loosening my tie a little. There was a moment of silence, Caine was first to break it.

"Well, how about asking her out on a date?" He said as if that was the answer to all the problems in the world; I stared at him, unsure if I was supposed to take him seriously. He shrugged at me. "What?"

"Do you mean like high school thing?" My brows furrowed.

"Yeah, act like kids for one night, except this time around be a bit more sophisticated. It should put the 'heat' back in bed," Caine said with a smirk. "But, ask her out nicely. Do something stupid, like stand outside your bedroom window at night, throw pebbles against the window and climb in…make sure you have some flowers with you."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." He rolled his eyes at me. "Just because I hang out with you, doesn't mean I'm not a romantic. How else do you think I got Diana?"

"Money," I said flatly, wondering when he would get it. "Anyways, Stacy isn't a big flower girl."

"True," Caine sighed, but there was a grin playing on his lips. "Bring her a severed head instead."

I chuckled at that, knowing that a severed body part would probably get more of a reaction out of her than flowers. Except, maybe if I got her stargazer lilies, she would really like that

Oh, dating…how that word took me back to those horridly wonderful days when I first met _her_.

Funnily enough, I could still remember what she looked like on our first date, red v-neck with dark blue jeans and knee-high black boots. She also had a scarf around her neck that protected it from my hungry lips. I despised the scarf that night.

I also remembered the night itself, and let me say, it wasn't the best night for a guy named Quinn Gaither.

"Do you often take girls to night clubs to not dance with them?" Stacy crossed her arms over her dark red v-neck shirt. I took in her appearance, slowly because I enjoyed seeing how her clothes hugged every little curve.

"I don't dance. I come here for the drinks," I said, looking back up at her face. She rolled her eyes at me.

"If you don't dance with me, I'm going to find another person," she said bluntly. I shrugged, not believing that she would leave me just like that. Then again, this was technically my first date with her, how would I have known she would actually follow through with her words.

After a few more minutes of standing around, looking bored, Stacy stormed off to the dance floor. I watched her, eyes narrowed. A grimace set in when I saw her talking with another guy off to the far side of the club; the guy looked rather familiar to me. Brusquely, I stood up and marched over to them.

No one and I meant _no one_ left me on the first date.

As I neared them, my speed decreased a little so as not to look as if I were too interested or anything. Stacy must've caught me in the corner of her because that's when she pulled the guy down to her level and smashed her lips against his. Angrily, I sped up and pulled the guy back before sending a swift punch right at his face.

One punch, just one, sent him to the floor, dazed. There were people around paying more attention to the guy on the ground then at me; so, not waiting around for anyone to start pointing fingers, I grabbed Stacy's hand and pulled her with me to the other side of the dance floor. Then, acting normal, I placed my hands on her hips and brought her body close to mine. Her arms automatically went around my shoulders as her head rested against my shoulder because the song was a rather slow one.

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest; I couldn't figure out if it was because of the loud music or if it was her stunt.

I couldn't believe the rage that spread through my body at the sight of his lips on hers. It actually disgusted me when I thought about it, although, I had enjoyed punching him.

"Quinn is going to be sore in the morning," she giggled, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I growled into her silky blonde hair, "You did all that just to get me onto the dance floor, didn't you?"

I could feel her lips curl into a smile against my shoulder; I shook my head, but a smile was soon on my lips as well.

Guess I figured out what we're going to be doing next Friday night.

* * *

Thank you to the ever so wonderful SummerFeally and Miss Rouge Apple for the reviews~ =)

Oh and I promise, there will be a lot of our cute little Paige in the next chapter BUT I also have an anouncement, I am in desperate need of a beta-reader for this story x_x PMed a few, but it's like everyone is busy -dies a little- So if any of my readers is extremely good with grammar, please PM me or email, I don't care, just do it! Im begging you ! I need someone to bounce ideas off of as well... T-T

Okay, so I realized I have forgotten the disclaimer but honestly...if owned Drake or Gone, I wouldn't exactly be here on fanfic now would I? x.x I just find disclaimer's ridiculous. Oh well, I don't own DRAKE (unfortunately) or Gone (once again, unfortunately)

Please remember to review people, the more reviews I get on your thoughts, the better the story will be for you! Seriously x.x or am I going to have to give out prizes for people who review? If so, what should the prizes be? Cookies? One-shots? Paige?

Stacy: -evil glare-

Me: -cringes- Okay, not Paige...-hides-


	5. Happy Family

Okay, not as much Paige I had expected to write up. I PROMISE there will be so much more of her in the next chapter, well the whole chapter will be about her XD But you'll see after you read AND review~

Thank you Valkerie, SummerFeally, Miss Rouge Apple and Permantly for the reviews~ ^_^ I can't actually give you Paige, but how about a cookie from Paige's own cookie jar? ^^"

* * *

Happy Family

Days have passed, but I still haven't asked out Stacy on a date yet. I still had to find someone to babysit Paige, since I knew Stacy would be edgy about who would be watching over the little rugrat. I would've asked Tony, but I didn't want him to have more reason to talk to me. With a sigh, I walked on towards my office, hurriedly.

Before I reached my office, one of my subordinates held me back.

"Yo, Merwin," said a voice that I never minded much before mainly because I never had to hear it so often until now. "There's someone in your office, a pretty hot someone."

I looked over at Derek, one of my officers and raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him elaborate on the situation. He only smirked at me. "Don't worry, I won't tell the wife," he said.

Shaking my head, I kept walking, not even bothering to dignify that with a remark. Yet, when I walked into the office, there was woman sitting comfortably on my desk. Immediately, I asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Mariana," she said with a big smile. I closed the door behind me as I walked farther in, heading towards me desk. The woman turned to me, her face was heavily soaked in make-up; I wrinkled my nose slightly in disgust as her appearance. "And I am about to make you the happiest man in this universe."

"The only way you can do that is by getting off my desk. It's a gift from my _wife_'s aunt," I grumbled, unsure of why there was some piece of smut in my office. I preferred it when everything was under my control and organized.

Unfortunate for the girl, she didn't move. Instead, she leaned over towards me, her minty breath on my face. I moved back, clearly disgusted by her. She cooed, "Come on, you think I'm here to seduce you?"

"You have one second to get off my desk and explain," I said harshly. The women did as I said, quickly. Once she was standing, she fixed her blouse and pencil skirt. Her red lips curled into a smile once again.

"Okay, I have a proposal for you from my client, Diana-"

"Get out," I said, cutting her off, "No way am I doing her dirty work. Remind her that I only work for Caine, not her. And I advise you never to come into my office again."

"You either do this or I will go directly to your wife and tell her you have been having an affair with me." Her plain dark eyes narrowed as her smile grew.

I laughed. "I would not advise that. You see…my wife, is not like anyone you have ever met before. If I were you, I would leave this office, drive out and of town and never come back."

"I gave you fair warning, Mr. Merwin," she said, leaving my office with a sigh. I watched her leave and chuckled at the thought of Stacy opening the door to _that_.

Though, I was confused on why Diana sent her. She knew that I would never go for that woman and that Stacy…Oh, how did I not realize this from the beginning?

"Diana, you tricky little devil. What did that girl ever do to you?" I muttered under my breath. I didn't dwell on that subject for long when an officer ran into my office, telling me about something that was going down somewhere near town hall. I grinned and jumped up, ready for some excitement.

* * *

"**Hi," I said with a big smile, opening the front door to a rather ugly woman on the other side.**

"**Hello, I am Mariana and I have some news regarding your husband," the ugly woman said as she came closer to the door. I frowned at her, but there was something about her that told me I couldn't trust her. "Diana hired me-"**

**There was a sharp cry from behind me, causing me to forget all about the woman. I turned my back on her and walked away, leaving the door wide open. Paige was in a high chair in the kitchen, there was food all over her face and on the ground. I made a face as I rushed to the screeching child.**

"**Oh, Paige," I cooed softly, taking her bib and wiping her mouth with it. "I'm sorry. Mommy is very sorry for leaving you alone."**

**Once she was clean, I picked her up into my arms, bouncing her lightly to calm her down.**

"**What a cute little baby," said a voice from behind. I turned and frowned.**

"**What are you doing here?" I asked sharply, keeping Paige hidden from her view.**

"**I told you, I have some news regarding your husband, Mr. Drake Mer-"**

"**No," I said, swiftly cutting her off. "What are you doing in my house? I didn't invite you in. So, get out and take your news with you. Whatever is wrong, my husband will tell me himself."**

**She laughed at me. "If that was true, then he would have told you long before I figured out that he was a married man."**

"**I said, get out." I didn't like her, not one single bit. Moreover, I didn't like being laughed at; no one laughed at me. I made sure of that.**

"**Hey, I'm only trying to help you by telling you that you're **_**husband,**_** has been cheating on you with me," she said, as if she were said to say it in the first place. Now, it was my turn to laugh.**

"**Drake, cheat on **_**me**_** with **_**you**_**?" I was still laughing. I looked down at Paige, who was staring at the woman with her beautiful soft eyes. Pulling her closer to me, I said, "Paige, looks like I found a clown for your first birthday."**

"**Miss-"**

**The smile dropped off my face. "It's **_**Mrs. Merwin**_**," I growled, "Now leave, or else."**

"**Or else what?" She taunted.**

* * *

It was eight o'clock when I finally arrived home. The case I had been working on was still ongoing, but I was able to leave and go home and think over there. Besides, I had my subordinates working on it even without me there.

I was greeted by a delicious smell and a nice big kiss from my favorite person in the town when I walked through the door.

"Mmm, well, someone is very happy," I said, smiling as she pulled away.

"Let's just say I was able to let out some frustration today…" She quirked a smile at me as she helped me take off my jacket and then loosened my tie a bit.

"I'm guessing what's-her-name came for a visit?" I grinned, resting my hands on either side of her hip.

"Yeah, but I took care of her," Stacy sighed, "Diana called me and thanked me for doing her a favor. Apparently, Mariana was blackmailing Caine, and Diana really did not like that. Oh well, I still got to take out some frustration on the woman."

"You know I don't care, right. So let's go into the bedroom, like…now." I smirked as I picked her up bridal style. She giggled and shook her head.

"Drake, Paige is in the kitchen. She's still awake and hungry. Plus, I'm hungry and you should be too," she chided, but the smile was still on her lips.

I rolled my eyes as I put her back down. I let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine. Let's go eat…"

"I'll be right there; I'm going to change my clothes first. I smell like chicken," she said, wrinkling up her little button nose. I leaned down and kissed that nose before attacking her lips. Stacy pulled away and hit me on the head. "Paige is going to start crying soon, go and be there for your daughter."

I made a face at her, but she only rolled her eyes and walked away, heading off down the hall to our bedroom to change. I wanted to follow her, but I wasn't about to push my luck with her good mood; so, I made my way into the kitchen only to be greeted by the nine months old baby; _my_ nine-months-old baby.

Seeing me, she began squirming in her seat, arms reached out towards me.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you want?"

She began to fuss and whine with her arms still reached out to me, as if wanting to be held.

"Tears don't work on me, Paige. Better learn that know." I sat down at the kitchen table, but she kept fussing. I looked away and waited for Stacy to come back. The fussing grew louder…and louder. After a few more seconds, I stood up and walked over to Paige. "Look, let's get this straight. I never wanted you, but Stacy insisted. I prayed you would be a boy, but you turned out to be a girl, making me want you less. So, stop with the big deer eyes and the fussing and the crying and the whole cute act, because it is not going to work on me."

Her mouth opened and a horrid wail came tumbling out.

"Drake!" That voice screeched, making me grumble.

"You sneaky little devil," I said as I got up and picked her up. "You are most definitely your mother's daughter."

Paige quieted down once she was in my arms. I narrowed my eyes at her, but a ghost of a smile flit across my lips. I sighed, "Paige Eliza Merwin...you little devil."

Paige simply stared at me as I stared back.


	6. Day Off

Day Off

I woke up to the sound of some odd soft gurgling. Opening my eyes, I wished I were a single man again.

There she was, Paige, her eyes trapping mine within seconds. However, I was released when I noticed there was a sticky note on her head; it had Stacy's handwriting on it. At first, I didn't want to look at it since it was Saturday, meaning my day off. But, I knew I had to at some point.

With a small sigh of irritation, I swiped the small yellow paper and read it aloud.

"Drake," I yawned. "Went out for a little while, be back in three hours. Take care of Paige, and no, take care does not mean kill. Food in the cupboard. Have fun. Love, Stacy."

Yeah, fun…as if.

I crumpled up the note and threw it to the side, angrily.

Paige grabbed my nose, without any warning, making me wrinkle it up as I looked over at her. She only giggled as she squeezed it and then let go. I raised an eyebrow at the giggling child, but she repeated her actions until I moved out of her way.

Sadly, that move resulted in my falling out of the bed, which Paige only found funny.

What a way to start the day.

With some more grumblings, I got up and headed off to the bathroom. The trip was cut short when I heard a squeal from behind. I turned and remembered Stacy wasn't around to take care of her. That was my job for today...guess as a dad, I don't get days off anymore.

I walked back to the bed to pick her up. Luckily, this time I knew how to because Stacy showed me how to.

Picking her up, I said, "Now, how am I supposed to do anything with you stuck to my side?" I asked, as if I would get an answer from her. After a few moments of silence, I sighed, "Hungry?"

Surprisingly, she nodded her head. For a second, I thought maybe she was about to say she was hungry, but when she opened her mouth, simply those odd noises came out. I had no clue how everyone else saw these babblings as cute, but it didn't matter. All that mattered is that she was hungry.

But, I had to freshen up a bit. I looked at Paige, who tilted her head as if waiting for me to say it aloud. I smirked. "Paige, I have to go to the bathroom. Okay?"

She nodded her head again. I chuckled, "Smart girl."

Placing her back on the bed, I walked back off to the bathroom for a little while.

When I came back out, Paige was still on the bed, but she was looking up at the ceiling babbling away. I frowned, as I looked up, expecting to see someone up there. Of course, there was no one, yet Paige was acting as if she were really talking to someone.

Shaking that ridiculous idea out of my head, I pulled her back into my arms and walked out of the room, heading on towards the kitchen.

When I walked in, I turned my attention to Paige. "So," I began, "What do you eat in the morning? Does mom give you milk or actual food?"

Blank gray-blue eyes stared back at me.

"Right," I sighed, placing her in the white high chair; well, it was white when we first bought it. "I think there is food in the cupboards…if not, I can just give you waffles, right?"

Naturally, there was no response apart from some more odd noises from her. However, I didn't expect one as I searched through the cupboards. Finally, I found one filled with small jars of mush that had a small baby's head on it.

With a grin, I picked one at random, got a spoon out of a drawer and walked back to Paige triumphantly.

I set down the spoon and jar of mush in front of her.

"There you go, eat up."

Paige looked at the food and then back up at me.

"Well? Eat."

She stared at me almost as if in disbelief.

We stared at each other in silence for a while longer; then, my smile dropped when I realized _I _had to feed her.

"Oh, you got to be kidding me…" I muttered under my breath. Paige pouted, which was a warning for me to start feeding her soon, or else there would be screaming with big, fat tears.

After wrenching the lid of the jar off, I picked up the spoon and scooped some out. Paige obediently opened her mouth as the spoon neared, allowing me to believe for a moment that this would be easy. But, nothing was easy, that just wouldn't be life.

She let it into her mouth, but spit most of it back out. I took a step back, wrinkling up my nose is disgust.

This was not going to be an easy three hours, for her or me.

I found out that Paige was becoming a picky eater; so, three jars later, I found out she hated peas, rice with broccoli, and chicken with noodles. I didn't blame her, they sounded gross.

Although, I found out she liked peaches quite a bit. She nearly bit off my fingers once she had gotten a little taste of the mush on the spoon.

"Hmm, peaches girl are we?" I chuckled as I scooped up the last spoon of mush.

"Mmm," Paige seemed to say before chomping down on the spoon.

"Right, now you are full and happy. Time for me to have some bad cup of coffee and toast," I said, wiping her face with a wad of paper towels. Once I threw the wad away along with the jars, I walked away from Paige, who was still in the high chair.

At first, she was only going on with her gibberish baby talk, but then I heard a huge wail, causing me to turn around in slight panic.

Her hands were stretched out towards me and I knew that she wouldn't stop sniveling until she was in my arms. With a groan, I walked back to her and picked her up.

"Paige," I grumbled sternly, "I'm hungry, I need food too you know. Come on, be a good girl and let me eat."

She put her arms around my neck and shook her head. I groaned, not knowing what to do to get her off me now.

How in the world does Stacy do this from day to day?

Looking at the clock, I mumbled, "Just two and a half more hours to go until mommy get's home. Just two and a half hours until I get to eat. "

Then it hit me.

T.V.

It was the answer to all problems. I'll just plop her in front of the electronic babysitter. Then, I can eat in peace.

Without another second's hesitation, I walked into the living room, dropped her on the couch and turned on our flat screen. Once I found a kid's type show and made sure Paige was more tuned to the colorful people on the screen, I walked out of the family room and back into the kitchen.

Now, I knew how to make my own breakfast, but ever since Stacy, I hadn't done much cooking. So, this morning, I stuck to the basics, coffee, toast and eggs. No way I could screw that up, not that I often screwed things up.

Well, normally…

Now, I'm not saying Paige was a screw up, but when Stacy first told me about her pregnancy, I flipped out.

"Drake," Stacy started tensely. I frowned at her, but waited for to go on. "You might want to sit down for this."

"No, I think I'll stand," I said, tightening my grip on her hands. She kept her eyes on the ground as she went on, shakily.

"Drake, I'm…I'm pregnant," she stuttered out.

Time froze for a moment.

Everything was dead silent.

I stared at Stacy, thinking this was some big joke, but she kept her eyes on the ground, too scared to look up at me. I dropped her hands, letting them fall to her side.

"Oh," I said after a few more minutes. "Right, so…get an abortion."

Her eyes turned sharply to mine.

The anger in them could've taken out the whole town population within a matter of nanoseconds.

"I am not getting an abortion." The anger was still there, but it was mixed with her fear.

"Well, I don't want it. Not now, not ever. Stacy, I never ever wanted kids. I'm not that kind of guy," I said, rolling my eyes at her.

I knew this day would come, I just had hoped it would be later…after it was impossible to impregnate her; as in after menopause, or whatever it was called. Then again, she would probably suck me into adopting a runt or something.

"Drake, I'm not getting an-"

"I do not want it," I said, interrupting her.

"Well I do."

"Why? Babies are just another hassle we don't need right now," I groaned, wishing she would get this silly notion out of her head.

"But, don't you want to have someone to carry on the family name?" She took a few steps away from me, her hands on her stomach. I looked at her, knowing she wasn't going to budge on the subject.

Obviously, we eventually came to terms with it, well…she'd always been on terms with the whole thing; I was the one who came to with idea, eventually.

However, it wasn't until now that I actually spent time with the shrimp, and so far…it wasn't too bad.

* * *

Thank you to Valkerie, SummerFeally and Permantly for the reviews~ ^_^

Okay, so instead of cookies, how about...flowers? Cookies are still available though~

Right, don't own Drake or any other characters in Gone, but Stacy and Paige are mine. Hope you all liked the small moment between Drake and Paige~ =3 Please review to tell me what you think~


	7. Bath Time and Flowers?

Bath Time and Flowers?

She was so beautiful, this person staring up at me. Her chubby little cheeks were so much fun to pinch, even though she didn't like it.

"Oh, Paige, you have to be the most beautiful baby in this whole world," I squealed, picking her up from her crib. Paige's small lips began to form into a pout, causing me to only 'awe'. "Oh, I'm probably the worst mother for putting you through this torture."

Paige only began to wail, forcing me to bring her closer to me. I cradled her in my arms and moved her side to side, slightly bouncing her up and down. Immediately, she began to quiet down in my arms; I smiled down at her, taking in those gorgeous gray-blue eyes combined with her little nose and pouty lips.

She babbled and made little sounds, making me wonder what she could possibly be saying.

"Paige, say mommy," I said slowly. I mouthed the words repeatedly, until she began simply to spit little bubbles. I wrinkled up my nose, but laughed. "You're still so cute, but let's clean you up a little. Is it time for a bath already?"

Paige made some normal cooing sounds as I put her back down in the crib to take off her clothes. Once I threw the diaper away, I picked up the small, chubby child and in that baby voice people tend to use, I said, "Who's ready for a bath? Paige, you ready for a bath, yes you are."

With some more coos and giggles, I brought Paige to the bathroom down the hall. It was funny just how much she loved water. Every time I poured more on her, the more she squirmed and splashed around ready for more. Of course, by the end, I was soaked through and through, but I didn't mind too much; well, at least not as much as Drake would have if he were the giving the bath.

I loved Paige, I really did, but sometimes I wonder if this was the right move. Sure, I couldn't exactly wait around much longer since I was in my…well that doesn't matter, but Drake. I wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to handle this.

Sure, I noticed how he has been acting the past few days around her; the subtle kisses and holding her every now and then…yet, that didn't prove to me that he was going to protect Paige from everything.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door, bringing me out of my thoughts. Picking up Paige, I quickly wrapped her in a towel before rushing over to the door.

On the other side was Drake.

With an odd, civil smile.

And…flowers.

Stargazer lilies to be exact.

"Drake?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled, but then the smile dropped and he sighed, "I'm not a romantic."

"I know," I drawled, unsure what was going on. I moved back from the door to let him in, but he stayed on welcome mat.

"I only know how to flirt and…," He paused and sent a glance at Paige. "And make nights very memorable."

"I _know._" I smirked, but was still confused.

"Here are your favorite flowers, I'm going back to work," he said, practically shoving the flowers into my free hand. He turned his back to me, but didn't move. Finally, over his shoulder, he said, "This Friday, I'm taking you out on a date. It will be formal and we are leaving Paige with Caine. His maids will watch over her."

I stood there in shock, but then I began to laugh when it finally hit me.

"I love you too, Drake," I giggled at his retreating back.

For a second, he looked at me and waved. I waved back with the flowers still in my hand, but then I felt Paige shiver in my arm, reminding me that she was wet and possibly cold.

"Ah," I gasped, "Paige. Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. Let's get you dry."

Paige simply sneezed, causing me to hurry.

* * *

I know, it's short BUT the next one will most definately be longer and you'll see more father-daughter bonding~!

Thank you to Miss Rouge Apple, Permanently, SummerFeally and Armygirl for the reviews~ ^_^

Don't own Drake, or any other gone characters. Just Stacy and Paige.


	8. Dinner Reservation

I know I promised this would be longer, but serious writer's black here x.x Okay, so I swear, the next one will be longer and there will be big father-daughter time. You'll see why. Anways enjoy, review!

SummerFeally, futurecullen26, Permanently, ArmyGirl, Valkerie and Miss Rouge Apple for the reviews~ Very much appreciated ^_^ You all get ice cream, whatever flavor~!

* * *

Goodbye Dinner

"Paige already ate, but if she get's fussy, I have some cut up peaches in the bag she can eat. I also have some jars of baby food in there, but lately she prefers chewing her food because she has teeth now," Stacy said quickly, filling in the two helpers that Caine loaned out for the night. I watched as she told them just about every little detail about our troublesome daughter.

"Stacy," I said after checking my watch. "We're going to be late for our dinner reservations."

"Yeah, just one more thing sweetie," she said, waving her hand at me as if waving me off. I rolled my eyes and walked over to her. Quickly, and swiftly, I swung her over my shoulder, causing her to start kicking and screaming.

With a sigh, I said, "Look, when I come back to pick up the she-devil, she better be in the perfect condition we left her as. That means, if there is a single scratch or bruise on her body, or even a single hair missing from that head of hers…I promise that you're going to wish you were never born."

Both helpers' eyes went wide in fear, but nodded in understanding.

I smiled at them. "Good, now that we've come to an agreement, time to go. Have fun, she's a real angel when she wants to be."

I didn't put Stacy down until after we walked outside.

"Drake, why did you do that?" She yelled, not going into the passenger seat. Without a word, I pushed her in and got into the driver seat. When I did, she asked again, but this time with a more demanding tone.

"Why else," I grumbled, backing out of the huge driveway. "We were going to be late and this is our first time alone without Paige around. I wanted as much time as we can possibly get…"

"There has to be a more romantic way to say that," she sighed.

"Hmm…" I smirked. "How about, I wanted to enjoy every second I have a lone with my beautiful wife, so I had to pull her away as quickly as possible."

"Cheesy," she said with a small chuckle.

"Well, I'm out of ideas," I mumbled. I glanced at the time to make sure we weren't late, not that I honestly cared, simply that there was no way I was going to wait in line for small proportions at outrageous prices.

Stacy let out another sigh, but didn't say anything else for a little while, which was fine with both of us. Neither of us _needed_ to talk twenty-four-seven. It was one of the many perks in our marriage, we were both fine with silence. Of course, we talked, but we didn't have to.

Suddenly, Stacy gasped, "Oh my god! I forgot to pack Paige's blanket!"

At first I almost braked right there in the middle of the street, I was just lucky it was empty. However, hearing the last bit, I let out a groan. "Jesus Christ, Stacy. Paige won't die without her blanket. I'm sure Caine has thousands in that damn mansion of his."

"But Drake, she can't go to sleep without her blanket. It's her special blanket," she protested loudly.

"Stacy, Paige hardly ever sleeps, I think she'll be fine," I grunted, irritated.

"What if she-"

"Stacy, unless they call us and tell us our daughter is raising hell because she doesn't have her blanket," I grumbled. "I think everything will be just fine."

"Wait, do they have our numbers?" She asked worriedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Unfortunately," I grunted.

"You sure? Do they have both our cell phone numbers?"

"Stacy," I began, my lips now set in a grimace. "Please, just take a deep breath and remember this is Caine we left our daughter with. They have our numbers and even if they didn't, they would know how to contact us in case of an emergency."

Just then, sadly, Stacy's cell phone rang. I groaned when she picked up, but froze up when she screamed.

"SOMEONE KIDNAPPED HER!"

...

Well, there goes our dinner reservation.


	9. I Want My Baby Back

I know this is late, and it doesn't have much Paige in it...YET! But it's got Stacy and she crazy...^^"

Hope you all still like it, please review. The next chapter will be up in a few days though.

Thank you to Valkerie, Permanently, Miss Rouge Apple, SummerFeally, and futurecullen26 for the reviews~ ^_^ This time you all get...peaches! Unless you don't like them, there are some cookies.

* * *

I Want My Baby Back

I barged into through the large wooden doors, not bothering to knock. Caine was inside, on his stairs, with a calm, collected stance, except I was everything but calm and collected.

I walked up to him with big, angry strides, Stacy right behind me. However, before I could get to him, she jumped on him, knocking him to the ground.

"Where is my baby?" She screeched, gripping his neck tightly with her long fingers. She had him in a vice like grip; he was struggling under her, looking at me to help, but I stood back and enjoyed the scene for a moment before pulling her off him. Caine stayed on the ground, coughing and gasping greedily for air. He looked at me as if asking why I didn't keep her off him from the beginning; I only bared my teeth at him. I wasn't exactly in my best mood and seeing him suffer in any way made me slightly happy.

"Caine, what happened?" I growled, struggling to keep Stacy from killing Caine then and there.

"I don't know!" He snapped as he stood up. His hand was still on his neck, rubbing it as if that would make it feel better. "I came downstairs when I heard a crash and all I found was the helpers dead on the ground, the window broken and a note on the table."

"Do you know how much it's going to cost to fix the window and remove the blood stains from the rug, if we can remove it in the first place? Our Persian rug is ruined," that annoying voice whined. I didn't to look over to know it was Diana complaining, but that was hardly the important thing here.

I kept my eyes on Caine and asked through clenched teeth, "Note?"

"Yes, they left a note. They want money in exchange for Paige. It's the classic hostage situation that you deal with at work all the time." Caine removed his hand from his neck, revealing ten distinct red marks. I quirked a small smirk at the marks, but took into account the situation.

It was odd that I had become so enraged at first when I heard the news; I drove at a hundred miles per hour to get to back to the mansion first to kill the helpers and then Caine for letting Paige slip through their fingers. But, after a few deep breaths, I calmed myself down. Well, a little, but now it was time to calm down my wife, who was kicking, screaming and swearing revenge on everyone in the room.

Grabbing hold of Stacy strongly by her arms, I pulled her off to the side and made her look into my eyes. I barked at her. "Stacy, Stacy! Look at me!" Her fierce blue eyes met mine, I could see the killing intent in them. "Stacy, we will find Paige, but you need to calm down." Her jaw clenched, forcing me to growl at her, "I said calm down. Paige needs a cool-headed mother to save her, not a hotheaded one, who will make mistakes along the way. Got it?"

"Fine," she spat, but I didn't let her go until she stopped struggling. That murdering instinct was still in her, but she wasn't going to act on it, yet.

I let her go and we walked back to Caine and Diana. I nodded. "Let's go check out the crime scene."

Caine lead us to one of his many grand rooms, the one we left Paige in with the helpers, that was styled in that classic, gothic way most big houses were built in. I let out a sigh, wondering how it was he got the grand life while I was in the mediocre one with a family in a one-story house. Of course, I wasn't going to lie that I wasn't happy, but I couldn't say I was perfectly happy. After all, look at how much hassle one baby could cause.

Though, that thought made me smirk, because it only proved she was my daughter after all, a little trouble-making devil.

"Okay," Caine began, "Here is the note and no one has moved the bodies, or bothered to clean up. I have a fantastic crew of maids."

I rolled my eyes at him before taking the note and reading it.

"We have your daughter…blah blah blah," I sighed, skimming over the note. It was like any ordinary ransom note, but that only made the situation more confusing. "They are asking for a hundred thousand dollars. Stacy and I don't have that kind of money right now."

"Really?" Caine raised an eyebrow at me; he gave me a look of disbelief, causing me to scowl at him.

"I'm not stupid Caine, I know how much we have in the bank after paying all the goddamn bills," I hissed.

"Then why would they take Paige and ask for so much money?"

"Because they are stupid. Normally…actually, all the time, these people hardly ever do the right homework. Also, more than half the time they get their facts mixed up, Caine. For example," I sighed, re-reading the note. "This note is made out to you, not me or Stacy. They think Paige is your child."

"Why would they think that?" Diana scoffed. I was wondering the same thing. How on earth could anyone think that Caine and Diana had a kid? They would adopt, but never have one naturally. It was the last thing they would ever do on this Earth or any other planet.

I shook my head. "Like I care or know, but you two better give the nimrods the money."

"Why?" Diana frowned. "You're baby, you're problem."

"Diana." Caine warned.

"What? Paige belongs to them, not me or you," she said with shrug, as if it were nothing.

I saw Stacy's body tense up, but quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from tearing Diana from limb to limb. Although, I would like to see that, but there was enough blood in the room; wouldn't want to put more stains in the precious Persian rug. Moreover, a dead Diana wouldn't go over well with Caine.

"Diana, we are her god parents," Caine began. "We have to do everything we can to protect her."

"Unfortunately," Stacy muttered harshly under her breath. I grinned over at her, but returned my attention back at the other two.

I nodded at Caine as a way of saying thank you. He sent a simple nod back. However, we exchanged looks, knowing that there will more than simple money exchanges going down when we find out who did this in the first place.

"Well, then, that's settled. All we have to do it wait for the phone call," I said, looking down at Stacy, who only gave me a tense look, no smile at all. A look that said, 'I want her back.'

I rubbed her back, hoping this would relax her, even though I knew she was the hardest person to soothe when it involved Paige.


End file.
